Fried Peppers

Fiery Foods Manager In the Kitchen with Chile Peppers Leave a Comment

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by Dave DeWitt

Fried Peppers

 

Recipes:

Pimientos de Padrón

Chiles and Garlic Fried in Oil

Fried Chile Salsa

Peperoncini in Frittura (Batter-Fried Chiles)

Pakoras Shikarbadi-Style

Poblano Pepper Rings

Southern-Fried Banana Peppers

This article began as a profile of pimiento de Padrón, a little known chile from Padrón, Spain, which is in Galacia. A friend forwarded me an article on these chiles published in the San Jose Mercury-News and the subject looked promising. The article said that the first commercial crop of pimientos de Padrón was being grown by David Winsberg of Happy Quail Farms in East Palo Alto. This was promising, so I filed the information and did a number of web searches for “pimiento de Padrón,” “Spanish pepper,” “Padron pepper” and every combination I could think of.

Well, I found some basic information. Pimiento de Padrón is both a cultivated variety of chile and a recipe for that chile. The unique trait of the pimientos de Padrón is that most pods are mild, but about one in five is hot–a sort of culinary Russian Roulette. The recipe calls for frying the pods in olive oil and sprinkling them with sea salt. They are then served in a bowl as a tapa. I could not locate any other recipes for this variety despite hours of searching. So I decided to track down David Winsberg and get some quotes from him, but a phone call only got a “not in service” message, and a web search yielded only a returned email.

I was going nowhere fast with this article, but I did find some other fried pepper recipes, which led to changing the focus. So, inspired by pimiento de Padrón, but not limiting myself to them, I decided to explore the techniques of frying peppers. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to exclude chiles rellenos, which are usually fried, though occasionally baked. For coverage of chiles rellenos, see A Visit with the Chiles Rellenos Chef.

Frying peppers is a common culinary practice, and most of the time, chopped bell peppers are fried along with onions and garlic as the basis for some other dish. This is particularly true in Italian and Cajun cooking. Bell pepper strips are also stir-fried in various Chinese recipes, and in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean, the sweeter peppers such as Cubanelle are fried and served as appetizers and side dishes. In addition to Spain, peppers are fried in Italy and Greece and it wouldn’t surprise me to discover they are fried in a lot of other countries as well.

All fresh peppers can be fried, but you might want to think carefully about which ones to try. First, take the heat level into consideration. If you are one of those culinary bungy-jumpers who can take high heat levels, then go ahead and tediously remove all the stems on those green chiltepins or piquins, fry ‘em up and gobble ‘em down like popcorn. Likewise, you can quarter habaneros, remove the seeds and stems and fry them up for a delightful salad topping. If you are somewhat wimped-out, consider going with the Mexi-Bell, yellow wax mild, banana, or the New Mexican varieties. Remember to remove the skins of jalapeños and New Mexican varieties. For the chileheads in the middle, I recommend some of the mild jalapeños such as TAM Mild. For a better flavor and more heat, go with serranos. Yellow wax hot chiles are another option in the middle of the heat scale.

Generally speaking, the smaller pods are fried whole, while larger pods such as poblano, bell, and New Mexican are using cut into strips before frying. If using the New Mexican pods, roast them and peel them before frying them in strips. Interestingly, the pickled peppers such as jalapeños and serranos can be fried. Simply drain them and pat them dry with paper towels before using. Dried chile pods, such as ancho and New Mexican, can be fried in oil to soften them before proceeding with a red chile sauce.

Now, what to fry them in? The Europeans call for olive oil, while people in the southern United States would probably prefer lard. Certainly, these two frying media add a lot of flavor to the peppers, but the Food Police will be knocking on your door if you use lard. Safflower oil is a nice, light oil to use, or you can go with the distinctive peanut and walnut oils for alternative flavoring. Remember, frying is the middle point between deep-frying and sauteeing, so keep the skillet or pan as hot as you can while frying Take care not to burn any of the peppers you fry–they will turn bitter.

Fried peppers can be refrigerated for a week as you use them up, or kept frozen for up to six months. They are delicious on sandwiches, as salad toppings, in salad dressings, and to perk up other vegetables, such as summer squash or broccoli. To make a tasty and tangy appetizer, fry up some jalapeños as described in the first two recipes, below, cut them into rings, place on a cracker and top with a Mexican cheese. Serve after they have been baked until the cheese just melts. Fried chiles can also add a nice flavor and a kick to pasta sauces. And don’t forget breakfast–why not add them to your scrambled eggs?


Recipes

Pimientos de Padrón

These are small, horn-shaped, conical chiles with a heat level that is usually mild, with about one in five pods spicy. Substitute mild jalapeños or serranos.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 12 pimientos de Padrón or mild jalapeños, stems removed

  • Sea or rock salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil hot. Add the chiles and fry, stirring well, until they blister and start to turn brown.

Remove them from the pan and remove the skins by scraping with a small knife. Return them to the pan and fry for 1 minute, stirring well.

Remove the chiles from the pan, drain on paper towels, place in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir or toss the chiles to cover.

Yield: 6 appetizer servings

Heat Scale: Medium


Chiles and Garlic Fried in Oil

This is a Greek dish that is served as an appetizer with a loaf of French bread. The diners tear off pieces of the bread and spread the chiles and garlic over it. This dish has big, bold flavors, so it is not for the timid consumers.

  • 2 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, sliced into 1/4-inch rings

  • 3 yellow wax hot chiles, stems on

  • 3 jalapeños, stems on

  • 6 small onions

  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

  • 1 teaspoon crushed dill weed

  • 2 cups olive oil

In a large skillet, place the bell peppers and chiles in a single layer. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat the skillet so that the vegetables begin to fry. Turn once and fry for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible level, cover the skillet and allow to cook until all vegetables are very soft, 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and mash the vegetables together, removing any skins of the chiles.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium


Fried Chile Salsa

In northern Mexico, the chiles, tomatoes, and onions are grilled before making Salsa Cruda, so why not substitute some fried vegetables? Separately frying the ingredients and flavoring with cilantro keeps this from being a pasta sauce. Serve this with chips or as a topping for grilled meat, poultry, or fish.

  • 1/2 cup olive oil (or more as needed)

  • 5 mild jalapeños, stems removed (or 2 hot ones)

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 6 medium tomatoes, chopped and drained

  • 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

  • ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more to taste)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until hot and fry the jalapeños until their skins start to blister and brown. Remove them from the heat and drain on paper towels. While they are cooling, add the onion and garlic to the oil and fry for 1 minute. Remove, drain on paper towels, and place in a bowl. Add the tomatoes to the olive oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring well. Remove, drain on paper towels, and add to the onions.

Peel the jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Chop the jalapeños and add them to the onions and tomatoes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium


Peperoncini in Frittura (Batter-Fried Chiles)

This Italian recipe works with either bell or chile peppers. Interestingly, I’ve had a very similar recipe to this in India. Chickpea flour is substituted for the wheat flour in that recipe–see the recipe for Pakoras, below.

  • 6 New Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds and stems removed, cut into strips

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1 cup olive oil

Arrange the chile strips in a serving dish and baste them with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let them sit for a time, then drain off the excess oil. Place the flour in a shallow dish and the egg in a shallow bowl. Dredge the strips in the flour and then in beaten egg. Fry them, a few at a time, in the oil in a skillet. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium


Pakoras Shikarbadi-Style

These pakoras are some of the easiest Indian snacks to make. I collected this recipe at the Shikarbadi Hunting Lodge outside of Udaipur. You can use any vegetable you like, but I recommend the softer vegetables such as peppers, eggplant, onions, and thinly sliced potatoes.

  • 2 cups gram (chickpea) flour

  • 1 teaspoon red chile powder

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • Water

  • Peanut oil for frying

  • Thinly sliced green chiles (such as serranos), onions, eggplant, and potatoes (about 3/4 cup each)

In a bowl, combine the gram flour, chile powder, salt, turmeric, and baking powder and mix well. Add water and mix well until the batter has a creamy consistency. Heat the oil in a deep pan until water splatters when sprinkled on it.

Dip the vegetables in the batter, drop them in the oil a few at a time, and cook them until they are golden brown. Serve them in bowls with the vegetables all mixed together.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Mild


Poblano Pepper Rings

Since poblanos make some of the tastiest chiles rellenos, it makes sense that they fry up deliciously. Why not dip these rings in guacamole?

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • ½ teaspoon cayenne powder

  • 3 cups vegetable oil

  • 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds and stems removed, cut into 1/4-inch rings

  • 1 cup buttermilk

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Heat the oil in a large pan until it just begins to smoke, then lower the heat slightly. Take the poblano rings 4 at a time, dip them in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip them in the buttermilk and back into the flour. Drop them into the hot oil and fry until lightly browned. Repeat with the rest of the rings and then drain on paper towels. Serve them warm.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Heat Scale: Mild


Southern-Fried Banana Peppers

Banana peppers are a Southern favorite and you can fry them either fresh or pickled. This is a perfect accompaniment to roasted ham or fried chicken. Since banana peppers are mild, use yellow wax hots for spicier fried peppers.

  • 8 pickled banana peppers

  • 1 ½ cups flour

  • 1 ½ cups milk

  • ½ cup crushed saltine crackers

  • 3 cups vegetable oil

Split the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the milk, flour and crackers in 3 separate bowls. Move ½ cup flour and mix with the crackers. Dip the peppers in the milk bowl and flour bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Redip peppers in milk bowl and then bread with flour and cracker mixture. Set aside again for 10 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and drop the peppers in. Cook until golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, and serve warm..

Yield: 4 servings

Heat Scale: Mild

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